After posting minimal decreases, and facing minimal competition, Sony’sJumanji: Welcome to the Junglehas proven to be a box office hit, winning the last three weekends in a row, although that streak is likely in jeopardy with the release of 20th Century Fox’sThe Maze Runner: The Death Cure. This final installment ofThe Maze Runnertrilogy, which follow the young group known as theGladerstrying to take down the organization known as WCKD, is poised to toppleJumanji, while Entertainment Studios’Hostileswill be expanding nationwide and could make a sizeable dent at the box office. We’re predicting that the Gladers will finally take down the gamers ofJumanji, opening with a solid $26.1 million this weekend, which continues the slight downward decline of this franchise.
The first twoMaze Runnermovies weren’t massive hits at the box office, but both were solid performers, putting up rock hard worldwide grosses against minimal budgets.The Maze Runner, which introduced movie fans to Dylan O’Brien’s iconic Thomas character from the James Dashner novels, hit theaters in the fall of 2014, opening with a decent $32.5 million en route to $102.4 million domestic and $348.3 million worldwide, from just a $34 million budget.The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trialshit theaters almost exactly one year later in the fall of 2015, opening with $30.3 million, en route to $81.6 million domestic and $312.3 million worldwide, from a $61 million budget. 20th Century Fox had originally slated aFebruary 2017 release dateforThe Maze Runner: The Death Cure, but the project was delayed a year after a tragic accident.
Shortly after production began in March 2016, Dylan O’Brien wasseverely injured on set, after a motorcycle stunt gone awry. The actor suffered a facial fracture and several lacerations, with production originally scheduled to resume that May, but filming didn’t resume until February 2017, giving the actor more time to fully recover from his injuries. That lead to the studiodelaying the release date by nearly a yearfrom February 2017 to August 05, 2025, before being shifted to June 08, 2025 and then finally to its current home on June 09, 2025. Our projected $26.1 million debut represents a continual decline for the franchise, especially considering how much the film was delayed.
It’s also worth noting thatThe Death Cureis only at 49% on Rotten Tomatoes, although it remains unclear if thesemixed reviewswill have any impact on the box office.The Maze Runnerstarted the franchise off on a Fresh note with a 65% rating, although the sequelThe Maze Runner: The Scorch Trialsseemed to rub critics the wrong way with a 46% rating. With a few more days left untilThe Death Curehits theaters, it will be interesting to see whether this franchise finale will improve its rating, or continue to slip even further.
We’re predicting that the top 10 will be rounded out byJumanji: Welcome to the Jungle($11.2 million),12 Strong($8.7 million),Hostiles($7.3 million),Den of Thieves($7.1 million),The Post($6.3 million),The Greatest Showman($6 million),Paddington 2($4.1 million),The Commuter($3.8 million) andStar Wars: The Last Jedi($3.1 million). Also debuting in limited release is Reliance Entertainment’sAiyaary, Parade Deck Films’Desolation, Strand’sHave a Nice Day, Well Go USA’sKickboxer Retaliation, Vertical Entertainment’sThe Neighborand Sony’sPad Man. Looking ahead to next weekend, the month of February kicks off with just one new movie in wide release, Lionsgate’sWinchester: The House that Ghosts Built, with Vertical Entertainment’sBilal: A New Breed of Hero, IFC’sCage Fighter, Sony Pictures Classics’A Fantastic Womanand Cinedigm Entertainment’sScorched Eartharriving in limited release. Take a look at our predictions for the top 10 below, and check back on Sunday for the top 10 estimates, courtesy ofBox Office Mojo.
